Lightning Strikes
by Registered User
Summary: Black Adam leads an attack on the Ghost Zone. When no one can stop him, only Danny and Billy can take him down
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey. This is my first attempt at a fanfic, so the storyline might seem a little choppy. I've been having some minor writer's block, but I will finish this. This story is set during Season 3 of DP, and Shazam from The New 52. And here we go...**_

_The Ghost Zone_

"Valerie to Vlad; I've got some trouble."

"What seems to be the problem?"

"Well I seem to be chased down by a ghost ship."

"Sarcasm won't help anything Miss Gray. But yes, that is the vessel of Captain Youngblood. He's no threat, so it'll be easy to take him down. Vlad out."

Valerie Gray growled in frustration. She started to regret taking the job to extract rock from the Ghost Zone. True, she had never been inside it before, and ever since she became a ghost hunter she had been curious. From what she had learned about it, it was essentially hell. Mayor Vlad Masters, her boss and mentor, had assured her she would be alright as long as she followed his guidance. She never knew Vlad had gone inside of it before, which was admittedly suspicious, but she had to do what she had to do. She turned around on her board, dodging cannon fire. She shot down the gunners, and threw an ecto-grenade, taking out five ghost pirates. She spotted a 10-year old who was barking orders. That had to be him. She jumped off her board, which folded up nice and neatly into a device that she put on her utility belt, and landed on her feet in front of Youngblood. She aimed her gun.

"Stand down."

The ghost captain shape-shifted the hook on his right hand into a cannon. "It be too late lassy. Ye trespass on me territory, ye suffer de consequences."

"De consequences? What does "de" mean? Are you talking about the letter d?" Remarked the parrot skeleton on Youngblood's shoulder.

"I was trying to talk pirate."

"You were up until then. You're trying too hard, just talk normal."

"It's no fun to talk normal. How am I supposed to convince people I'm a pirate if I don't talk like one?"

"Oh let's see: you have a ship, and a crew. If that doesn't convince people, I don't know what will."

"I hate to break up the argument, but can we please get back to me? OK? OK. Look, my job isn't to hunt you guys down, so if you hold your fire I'll leave you alone."

As soon as she said that, a flash of lightning cracked overhead. A man in black with a golden thunderbolt on his chest appeared, arms folded. "There is no peace."

"Who the heck are you?" asked Youngblood.

"I am Teth Adam, and I shall have dominion over this realm."

"You and what army, jerkface?"

"Well I am here, am I not? And if I am not enough, I have fellowship to tie up any loose ends." Two figures rose up in size from a floating rock down below. "They are Ares, and Trigon."

They attacked the ship. Youngblood steered it away and tried to escape the trio of evil. "Vlad! Goddammit, Vlad! I need backup, stat! This is an emergency!"

"What is it Valerie?"

"I'm being attack-" The sound of thunder, interrupted her, then all that there was, was static.

_**Well that was something. Why does Black Adam want to take over the Ghost Zone? Who will stand against him? Tune in later. Same bat-time, same bat-channel**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**And we're back. Sorry for the wait, but in the future, I'll try to update every week. Until then, her'es the new chapter**_

_Fawcett City_

A school bus from Amity Park parked in front of the Fawcett Museum of Natural History. Mr. Lancer, a teacher of Casper High, was the first to step out. He took a deep breath. "Ah, Fawcett City; if Philadelphia had a child with Mayberry, this would be it. Bit of stretch, but whoever wrote this brochure can really sell it hard. Now class, this is the last day that the tomb of King Tutankhamen will be at the FMNH, so you don't want to miss it."

The students piled out of the bus. Three friends, Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, and Tucker Foley, joined up.

"Does anyone actually call it that?" Tucker asked.

"Nope, just Lancer. And my parents," Sam replied.

"Really? Mine too."

"This is stupid. No one wants to be here, there isn't anything interesting in this bullshit museum, I feel like I'm gonna puke cause I get carsick and we took fucking backroads because it's so hard to use the interstate like a normal person…"

"I thought seeing a dead guy might make it worthwhile," Danny teased.

"Ha ha, very funny. I see enough dead people helping you out." If that comment seems weird, it's because she was one of the few people that knew Danny's secret. You see, Danny's parents were fanatic ghost hunters. They had built a portal to the Ghost Zone, which he had accidentally activated. When he did that, ecto-plasm was infused in his DNA, allowing him to turn into a ghost. After saving his school in his ghost form, he became a hero that he dubbed "Danny Phantom".

They went inside. The tour guide was as boring as expected, maybe even more if that's possible. They trudged through until they got to the exhibit on King Tut. There were some reporters there at the exhibit.

"Tutankhamen took power as a young boy, and ruled until his death at the age of 19. His mummified body, and some artifacts from his tomb are here for only one more day, so it's your last chance to come to the Museum of Natural History to visit. This is Helen Fidelity from Whiz Media."

The cameras powered down, and so did Lisa's enthusiasm.

"How much is the museum paying Whiz to do this?"

"More than they'll get back I reckon," answered her little helper, Billy Batson. He was a 10-year old boy dressed in faded jeans, a red shirt, and a leather jacket. He was helping the cameramen when he noticed Danny accidentally bump into a big, blonde student.

"Hey, watch where you're going Fenton!"

"I didn't mean to Dash!"

"Hey, leave him alone." Dash turned to see Billy standing up to him.

"Why don't you mind your own business, little man?"

"Then just leave him alone."

The bully walked up to him and picked him up by the collar of his shirt. Billy didn't even blink.

"Does this make you feel any better? Does it make you feel more like a man?"

"Why you defiant little…"

Sam ran over to his aid. "Dash, he's not even from our school. He's a local, and you're disrespecting him on his own turf."

Helen Fidelity saw what was happening and ran over. "Put him down now, dickhead!"

Dash threw him down. "Good thing mommy was here. And she's not that bad looking, if I do say so myself."

Helen repeatedly hit him over the head with her microphone. "You got some real nerve to mess with him and then hit on me. Who the hell do you think you are?" He ran away.

Sam held out her hand to Billy. "Are you OK?"

He grabbed hold and got up on his feet. "I'm fine, thanks."

"I hate to agree with Dash, but he is right. If your mom didn't come then you'd be screwed," Danny said."

"She's not my mom. But yeah, I guess I did get lucky. He looked up at Sam. "You're pretty."

She blushed and smiled. "Ah, thanks."

"My name's Billy."

"Sam. The dopey one's Tucker, and the clueless one's Danny."

"Hey wait a minute, clueless? I am not clueless. Tucker, am I clueless?"

"What? What happened?"

They heard Helen talking to Mr. Lancer about Dash, even though Lancer kept on defending Dash.

"What a tool," sneered Danny.

"Don't worry about people like that. What I've learned, is that as long as there are good people in this world, there will be people who are the opposite. Those who are good will move forward in their own lives, while those who are bad go nowhere."

"Still, it would be cool if there was some magic word or something that would keep them quiet."

Billy smiled nervously. "Yeah, it is…I mean, would." Truth is, young Billy Batson knew such a word, although he couldn't use it freely. He couldn't even have used just then with Dash. It came with responsibility.

His thoughts were interrupted as the ground shook. Ditto for Danny, whose ghost sense was going off like crazy. "I'm gonna go get help," he said running.

"Me too," Billy said, running the opposite direction.

"You might want to go the other way," Tucker yelled.

Danny hid from sight and changed into his ghost form as an explosion left a hole in the floor. The saboteur burst out. Danny knew him well.

"What's all this Skulker? Isn't this too elaborate for you?"

"You can mock me all you want, Danny Phantom. I've made the deal of a lifetime, and after this, I will be the richest mercenary in the Ghost Zone!"

"Wow, congrats on the promotion."

"Thanks. It's about time I get more respect…" Danny punched him in the jaw, and blasted him with a ghost ray. Skulker fired his wrist-blaster, and dodged his other attacks. He caught him up with an electrically-charged cable.

Danny landed on the ground. "Well that's enough of that," said Skulker. "Now, on to the ruby." He took a sucker-punch from the side and fell to the floor. Danny got himself free of the cable, and was taken back when he looked up and saw a muscular figure standing over Skulker dressed in red, with gold gauntlets, boots, and belt, with a lightning bolt on his chest, the center glowing with power. He was Shazam, the superhero guardian of Fawcett City. Shazam turned to Danny.

"I thought you could use a hand."

Danny smiled. "Heh, I can't really argue."

Shazam grabbed Skulker, and Danny blasted him with a ghost ray. Skulker broke free and punched him in the gut repeatedly. Shazam responded with a lightning-charged uppercut to the chin, sending the ghost flying. He ran toward where Skulker would fall with a dash of super-speed, jumped up, and punched him in mid-air. The bounty hunter was slammed against the wall

"Hey! You trying to show me up or something?" Danny joked.

"How can I help it? Speed of Mercury, strength of Hercules."

"Oh yeah that's right, the gods gave you their powers."

"Well that's not exactly how it works…"

"Gods, schnods, lemme show you how a ghost boy handles these guys." He walked over to his foe, and held him against the wall. "Alright Skulker, you said something about a deal. What was the deal, and with whom?"

"Well if you must know Phantom, I was hired to retrieve a ruby, and give it to the New Empire."

"The who?"

"The New Empire. The new order of the Ghost Zone."

"And you support them?"

I honestly don't give a damn, but they offered to make me a general in their army, which is the only reason I signed my name on the dotted line."

"Who's the leader? Walker? Pariah Dark?"

"Nope. It's three people: Ares, Trigon, and Black Adam."

Shazam's jaw dropped. Ares, the Greek god of war? Trigon, a trinity of evil in one? And Black Adam? Black Adam? Black Adam was Shazam's arch-nemesis. 5000 years ago, The Wizard gave him his power, which he used to become the dictator of his home country of Kahndaq. The Wizard exiled him to the farthest star in the sky, and Adam swore to return, and he would reek his vengeance. Like before, he took political power of Kahndaq, where he distributed harsh justice. But what was he doing siding with the likes of those two?

"You said something about a ruby."

"I think I know what he wants." Shazam took a jewel from King Tut's death mask. "The ruby of Anubis. Legend has it, it was enchanted by Anubis, the Egyptian god of death."

"Really? I always thought the ruby of Anubis was enchanted by Kim Kardashian."

"It's too late; Black Adam will never find this."

"Never say never." Skulker broke free and tied up Danny with an ecto-charged cable that shot out a blaster. Shazam grabbed his arm, but Skulker turned intangible, making himself untouchable.

Danny broke out of the snare. "I got this." He traced unseen movements, and fired a ghost ray that hit Skulker. Deciding to cut his losses, Skulker quickly fled the scene.

The crowd flocked around the two heroes. Shazam still had the ruby, so the battle was won, but there was a war on the horizon.

_**Now how was that? A conflict is brewing, and there will be blood. Also, did you recongnize the reference I made?**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey it's me again. I'm sorry I skipped last week, but I'll try to keep a consistent update schedule. Now, for what you really want...**

The Ghost Zone

Black Adam preferred hovering over standing and/or walking. When he was a child, he used to dream about soaring through the air like an eagle. When the wizard gave him the power, the first thing he did was take to the skies. Since then, his feet almost never touched the ground.

But when they did, however, you knew he meant business. And standing before the Observants with Ares and Trigon, he was dead serious as he paced back and forth.

"Are you the so-called authority of the Ghost Zone? You claim to have control, yet you do nothing as we threaten insurrection. You sit and watch as we take over this realm. And all the while, you do nothing but observe. Still, you shall observe your demise."

"Your regime will not stand forever. The last time a tyrant ruled the Ghost Zone, he was overthrown. What makes you three any different?"

"Pariah Dark is an imp compared to our might," Ares responded. "Have you forgotten of our own individual strength? Can you imagine what our wrath would be like if combined? And you dare insult us?"

"They are fools nonetheless. And they shall pay for their defiance," said Trigon.

Black Adam lifted his hand. "No, no. That is not necessary. They simply needed to be aware that their days are numbered. No more, no less."

Adam allowed no argument. He made sure they knew that total domination was another step closer, even without unneeded violence, because their victory was inevitable.

Rock of Eternity

A portal opened up, and out fell Youngblood and Valerie Gray. Valerie rubbed her head. "Now that we're away from those psychos, where the hell are we now?"

"No no, not hell. This is a place of all magics," said a voice coming from behind them.

"Huh?"

A blue cloud appeared and out of the mist rose a mysterious figure. "I apologize for any inconvenience. I am The Phantom Stranger. You are safe now. Come with me."

They got up and they followed him. As they walked down a hallway with stone statues labeled as the "Seven Deadly Enemies of Man", they heard the Stranger call out to whoever else was there.

"They are here."

"You trust these two to defeat the likes of them? They ran from them when first confronted," a woman protested.

"They were unprepared. They won't be alone for long."

"Surely you jest."

"He hasn't failed you yet after all these years, and I doubt he won't keep his word now, "New Empire" be damned," said another man.

Valerie and Youngblood came out to where the voices were coming from, and saw two floating figures, one in Greek armour, and another in a cloak carrying a staff. The latter turned to them.

"I trust you are aware of our dire state, Valerie Gray, Captain Youngblood."

"You know our names?"

"I know everything."

"Alright smart guy, who are you?"

"I am Clockwork."

"Who?"

"Clockwork. The master of time," answered Youngblood's parrot. "And Pandora, keeper of Pandora's Box. These are the two most powerful individuals in the Ghost Zone."

"But why is he with them?" Valerie asked.

"This place, the Rock of Eternity, is a conduit for all the magic in the universe. Teth Adam, the world leader that mortals know as Black Adam was once chosen to protect the Rock. He used his power to establish his authority there, just like he has now. Now, the hero that is known as Shazam is the new protector."

"I didn't ask for a backstory."

"If Black Adam succeeds, it will tip the scales of the magic world, causing an imbalance. This will bring about severe consequences."

"The point is, Black Adam must be defeated," Clockwork concluded.

"And you want us to take on those guys? Are you nuts? What the heck is wrong with you?" shouted Youngblood.

"Not by yourselves. You will fight alongside others determined to take down the regime, namely Shazam and Danny Phantom."

"This is bs. Please tell me this is bs," said Valerie. She had a vendetta against Danny. Ever since he destroyed the Axiom building, costing her father his job, she went into ghost-hunting to settle the score.

"See, this is hopeless."

"There is always hope Pandora. Though they may struggle, they will prevail."

**There you go. I swear, I will have the next chapter up this time next week**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Before I let you go into this chapter, let me clear something up: this is New 52 rules, so Billy is Shazam and not Captain Marvel. However, he can say his own name and not trigger the lightning. He only calls down the thunder when he says the word "with good intentions". So basically, he does what he wants, screw the old rules. Well, this is it**_

_Fawcett City_

As Shazam started to walk out of the museum, he was flocked by reporters and paparazzi. By this time Danny had left, and he soon wished that he had done the same.

"Hey Zam! Zam!"

"Who was that guy?"

"What did he want with the ruby?"

"Are you now endorsing Danny Phantom?"

"You do realize that you're buddies with Amity Park's public enemy number one right?"

Oh well, this is the price he pays. Come to think of it, he could use this to his advantage…

"Guys, guys, please. I have things that I need to take care of, and I need to make a plan. But I have a few things that I have to say. This ruby isn't safe on public display. I've talked with the museum owner, and he's agreed to let me take it somewhere safe. And as for Danny Phantom, well, from what I've seen and heard of him, he's one of the good guys. He's just got the short end of the stick, that's all. And honestly, I need his help. Wherever he is, I hope he can hear me, 'cause we need to meet up."

As he was saying that, Danny and friends walked out with his friends.

"You're going places kid," said Sam, "I always knew you had it in you."

"It was a one-time gig."

"One time? Dude, you're running with the big dogs now! This guy fucks with the Justice League! If you pal with him on whatever he wants you for, you'll be on your way to being a big-time crime fighter."

"Tuck, you know that I didn't start chasing ghosts to get famous."

"Well, if Shazam supports you, than his fans will be swayed, and it'll build up your image and get Vlad off your back."

"I guess you have a point there. And if what Skulker said is true, I need all the help I can get." 'Or was it the other way around?', Danny thought as he looked back to Shazam, who was flying off in the distance.

He pulled out his phone and made a call. "Hi, it's Valerie. I can't get to the phone, so leave a mess…"

He hung up. "Shit." Although he was Danny Phantom, and she was a ghost hunter, they were close in civilian guise as Danny Fenton and…Well, Valerie Gray. (She didn't give herself a codename, although she was often referred to as "the red huntress"). Since she didn't know his secret and he knew hers, it was awkward and dangerous, but he couldn't deny the feelings he had for her.

Meanwhile, Shazam flew down to the park. Remember how I said that there was a word that could shut bullies and other cowards up? Well, after making sure no one was around, he said that word.

"Shazam."

…His own name. Ooh, big deal, he can say his own name. Whoopty-freaking-do. Thing is, when he said it that time, he called down lightning from the sky. The lightning struck him, changing him back into Billy Batson. Billy walked through the park, looking for someone. A hobo had caught sight of him, and walked towards him.

"Hey there man, what's going on?"

"I got bad news Mister Tawny. Real bad news."

The hobo changed into his true form-the last Kahndaq tiger. "C'mon, it can't be that bad."

"It's Black Adam; he's trying to take over the Ghost Zone!"

Tawny's jaw dropped. "Damn."

"I need to find Danny Phantom, but he's gone so I'll have to go to Amity Park. Here, take this," Billy pulled the ruby out of his pocket.

"I'll keep it safe kid. Just do what you gotta do."

Tawny grabbed the ruby and Billy ran home. For almost three years he had been homeless, living in an abandoned apartment building. But thanks to friends in high places, he had been placed in foster care. He lived with the Vasquez family, who had adopted other children. He was hesitant at first, but he had gotten used to being part of a family. It was sure a heckuva lot better than being kept up at night by the growling of his stomach, and having to pay up to the pimp across the street so he could stay and not be forced into his child pornography ring. But even in the face of such stark evil, his will was bulletproof. He was determined to keep faith in the silver lining, and not conform to the evils of the world. His heart was pure; that's why he was chosen to be the guardian of the Rock of Eternity.

After drafting up a plan, he set off. As he stepped out, he saw a group of men attacking a woman. Two were holding her down, and the other tearing off her clothes.

'I can make time,' young Batson thought. He found a good hiding spot to word up, and when he changed, he attacked the perverts. Batman once told him that there was more sex crimes committed in Fawcett City than in Gotham. Shazam seemed shocked, but Billy could easily believe it. He didn't learn about the birds and the bees from wielding the wisdom of Solomon; he had witnessed both legal and illegal sexual acts on a regular basis. Learning that the psychos in Arkham and Blackgate-The Joker himself included-had more decorum was nothing more than adding insult to injury.

Either way, he had no love for scum like this lot.

"Not today." He socked one hard in the jaw, and then took the woman away, and then ran back to the men. One charged at him with a knife. As he stabbed him, the blade was shattered yet the World's Mightiest Mortal didn't have a scratch on him. He fended off the other two, and headbutted the thug with the broken knife. He got back up, pulled out his pistol and started firing. The other two got out their own guns and started spraying it up like graffiti. Shazam had fire coming at him from a Colt .45, an AK-47, and a Gatling gun.

He just laughed. "Cut it out guys, I'm ticklish." He never got tired of this. Didn't they know he was bulletproof? He broke the Colt and the AK, and knocked out the gunmen.

Suddenly, the third was taken out by a surprise attack. Shazam was surprised but delighted to see Danny Phantom levitating above him.

"You said you needed my help?"

"Yeah, we need to take down Black Adam and his regime."

"I hope you're talking about the New Empire, because otherwise you'll be dragging me into the political faux pas that our great-grandchildren won't be able to live down."

"I mean the Empire."

"Thanks for clearing that up. Not that I'm saying you're dragging me around."

"No problem."

"So…What's the plan?"

"We need to assemble a team, and than go to the Rock. C'mon."

Shazam flew off. Danny was puzzled. "Rock?" Huh, so Batman has a Batcave, Superman has a Fortress in Antarctica, the X-Men have the Jean-Grey School, and Shazam has…a rock. No disrespect at all; he's powerful, good-looking, a hit with kids, but…a rock?.

Danny quickly followed after (a rock?) him. As they went off, Skulker, invisible and intangible, trailed them.

"Don't mind if I tag along do you?"

_**Thanks for (a rock?) reading! Tune in next week for the next**__ chapter_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey it's me again. Here's another one. In this one, there are references to other characters and series that I could write about later. So keep an eye out for these characters in the future. P.S: Robin is Damian Wayne**_

_Amity Park_

Mayor Vlad Masters sat at his desk, watching conservative TV personality G. Gordon Godfrey. If he wasn't going on about how Muslim extremists (a.k.a a Muslim teenager speaking out against her frequent discrimination in her school) were threatening traditional American Christian values, or how the legalization of gay marriage would open the door to Stalinist revolution, (his words, not mine), he was ranting about how metahumans were a threat to the world at large. The previous week had been devoted to nitpicking every little detail about how Aquaman's rule of Atlantis was Nazi in nature, the night before the immorality of "child soldiers" such as the Powerpuff Girls and the Young Avengers, and the night before that he was trying to determine the identity of Starling City's archer vigilante. But tonight…

"After the saboteur escaped, Danny the friendly ghost left, leaving Shazam to clean up his mess. A mess he made in his own stomping grounds. Now, this is the funny part: the big red cheese walks out, and when he's asked about the homewrecker, he says this…" He played a recording of his interview.

"He seems to be one of the good guys. He's just got the short-end of the stick, that's all."

"Ha ha ha! Oh no! Dang; as I've said before, Shazam has Peter Pan Syndrome. I mean look, this guy's favourite show is SpongeBob; he's always seen playing with kids (foster kids, which I will admit, is admirable); and may I remind you of his little temper-tantrum when I first interviewed him? But he's taken childish and naïve to a whole new level. Let's go over this again: "from what I have seen and heard, he seems to be one of the good guys". Oh, so a good guy invites ghosts over to his house for a party, bringing destruction, is that what you're saying? Is that what a good guy does nowadays? What does a bad guy do then?" The show cut to a commercial break.

Mayor Masters poured two glasses of wine. "Spoken like a true genius." He turned to his guest, Amanda Waller. "Am I right?"

She took her glass without doing so much as looking him in the eye. "You won't earn any political points from me."

"I didn't expect to."

"Oh? Then why call me here? Why all the drama?"

"I just want you to know that we're like minds. And like minds should share thoughts. I have had trouble with finding people I can relate to."

"I suppose everyone you could connect with were all dead. Alexander the Great perhaps?"

"He was OK. But back to what I was saying, I've recently had troubles with that. I had a falling out with a friend the other day. His name was Slade Wilson."

Waller's eyes were widened by Vlad's mention of that name.

"Yes, I believe you would've liked him. Actually, I think he referenced knowing you once. Do you know him?"

"Never heard of him."

"Oh, but you have. See I know all about your days as a child soldier. I know all about Team 7. And I know all about Task Force X."

She got to her feet. "Than you should know I can kick your white ass in seven different ways."

"Lay a hand on me and I'll have you locked up in a men's prison on death row, and reveal all your dirty laundry."

She sat down and hung her head in defeat. "What do you want from me?" she said through gritted teeth.

"Power. That's what it's all about. That's what it's always been about. I want your Suicide Squad to carry out a mission under my command."

In the middle of his tyrade, Vlad's radio went off. "Valerie to Vlad, do you hear me? I repeat, do you fucking hear me?"

Embarrassment covered his face. He smiled nervously. "I'll be right back." He ran out.

Amanda sat there, lost in thought. She hated him. He made her submit. He must pay. But how?

Vlad moved to a back room. "Valerie, where are you?"

"All I know is that it's called the Rock of Eternity. You gotta help me. I've been caught in the crossfire of an extra-dimensional power-grab."

He had his secrets too. Like Danny, his mortal enemy, he had a ghost half. He transformed into that half at that moment. "Help is on the way."

_Jump City_

After returning from their most recent adventure, the Teen Titans were kicking back at their headquarters, Titans Tower. Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing video games, Starfire was cooking something that only a Tamaranian would be able to digest, much less like, and Robin was watching Cyborg and Beast Boy's game, eating an energy bar.

"Bam! I win, you lose!"

"Hey, it glitched on me! I was hitting the gas, but the car just stopped out of nowhere."

"You're just mad 'cause you lost, Cy."

"OK, restart."

The doors burst open, and all eyes turned to the visitors, who you should know by now.

"Shazam! What an unexpected treat this is to see you. Would you like some freshly-made kiln-glake? It's spicy." Starfire offered him a bowl filled with something that looked like a mutilated prehistoric squid mashed together with mud and coated in mustard.

"Uhh, I actually came here looking for Raven."

"Is it about you-know-who?" Robin pried.

"How did you know?"

"Son. Of. Batman. Anyway, she's in her room meditating." He noticed the other visitor. "Who's your friend?"

He motioned his hand to Danny. "This is Danny. You've probably heard of him. We're working together, and we need as much help as we can." Shazam left. Danny walked into the room. He took a seat near the kitchen after pushing away the bowl of klib-klag, kiln-klin, klu-klux, or whatever it was that Starfire made.

All eyes were on him. "Hey, I just wanted to say I'm a big fan of you guys. Always have. When there's trouble, you know who to call. Yeah…"

Down the hall, Shazam stood at Raven's door, thinking over what he was going to say. Nervously, he knocked on her door.

The door cracked open. She peeked out. "What? Oh, it's you. Why are you here?"

"Well, you see, I have a little problem…"

"What is it?"

"I know you just came back, but…You see, it has to do with someone you know; someone you have history with. Bad history, like really, really bad. And this individual is really, really evil, and wants to do really bad things, and already has done bad things. Several bad things. Believe me, this is…"

"Quit beating around the bush Billy. It-it's him isn't it? Trigon, my father."

"Dang, is it that obvious? I mean…Yes. He's teamed up with Ares and Black Adam to take over the Ghost Zone."

"Because he didn't have enough power before."

"Raven I know it's super-personal, but you know how to beat him more than anyone else."

"It's OK Billy; I've been fighting him for my whole life; this is no different." She came out of her room. Pulling her hood over her head, she walked down the hall. Billy marveled at her. Even with the wisdom of Solomon, it blew his mind how she showed little to no emotion even when tasked with something like this. He could never do that. He had seem some shit, but if he was her, he would break down. Being the daughter of an unspeakably evil demon lord, and having to hold back all of her feelings so she doesn't kill everyone she loves? Unbearable.

Meanwhile, Danny was playing video games with Beast Boy and Cyborg. And he won. "What! You got nothing!"

"How did you do that?"

"I'm telling you, Andre's Z28 is the best car in the game."

Raven and Shazam came out. "Danny, we need to go."

"Alright, I gotta go. Thanks for the game."

"No problem man. Nice meeting ya."

"You too." He fist bumped Cyborg and they walked out of Titans Tower.

At that moment, Danny's ghost sense went off. He grabbed Zam and Raven, and jumped out of the way of blaster fire. They looked up to see Skulker levitating over them. "Time's up."

_**So, what do you think?**_


	6. ElsewherePt1

'_**Sup. You may remember last time some serious shit was going down. But before that, you saw good ol' Vlad Masters trying to find help for captive Valerie. Well, I wanna take some time out and talk about what he meant by "Help is on the way"**_

_Amity Park_

"Welcome back. We're talking about the latest faux-pas in the "superhero" community. You know about Danny Phantom, the reckless ghost boy from Amity Park. And you know about Shazam, the oaf of a man-child from Fawcett City. Separately, they're both more trouble than they're worth, but put the two together, and you got a big-"

"Oh my god, Tuck! Tell your parents to turn that shit off, and or at least turn on something good."

"I don't even think they're watching it. They do this all the time; they turn on a random show, leave it there, and then do something else, totally forgetting that the TV's on."

"That's gotta suck," said Sam Manson. She was at her friend Tucker Foley's house while Danny was off doing his heroics. There was a part of her that liked doing this. Just chilling, talk wih Tcuker, and keep up with up-to-the-minute social media updates on Danny Phantom, and share the news feeds on the official Danny Phantom Watch website. That's right, she and Tuck were there to update a site all about Danny Phantom. Sounds cool doesn't it? It was kind of hokey, but at the moment it didn't matter.

"Sam? Do you ever worry about him?" asked Tucker.

"More than I let on. But I have faith in him. He can take care of himself; he's a phantom."

"You know, if we hadn't coaxed him into crime-fighting, I don't know what he'd be doing now."

"Probably just like all the other teenagers in America. His life would be mundane, boring, and mind-numbing. If he hadn't had that accident in the ghost portal, he'd be just like that."

"But do you have to become a superhero to live a meaningful life?"

Sam smiled, and hugged her legs. Tucker was growing up, actually using his peanut-sized brain. "Trained you well I have, my young padawan."

After a laugh, they both fell silent. Wait a minute… Something's not right. You ever get the feeling that you're being watched. That's exactly what they felt.

Tucker was attacked, and instantly rendered unconscious. Sam got to her feet. What's going on? Who's there? She felt herself get grabbed, and she saw…Vlad. His evil eyes were the last thing she remembered before her eyes shut.

_**Ladies and Gentlemen! The show is not over!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Last time on Lightning Strikes, Danny Fenton's friends Sam and Tucker are kidnapped by the vile Vlad Plasmius. What does he want them for? Read on to find out**_

_London_

She never told anyone this, but Sam Manson had been having nightmares recently. She dreamt of her being attacked by one of Danny's many enemies. They always ended the same way; Danny went off to save her, but every time he was too late. She would wake up in a sweat, screaming. She didn't want to die, but the price for being so close to a vigilante is dear. She never admitted it, but she was afraid.

But now, Sam is finally learning what it's like to fear for your life.

She and Tucker had been kidnapped by Vlad Plasmius. One look at each other, and they knew they were thinking the same thing. She knew what he'd do to her: torture, interrogation, and-most likely-death. Why was a totally different question, and she didn't care. All she wanted was that if it was going to happen, that it should be quick. But he had to drag them halfway across the world, and for what reason?

He flew down to a cheap apartment building, and dropped down. He turned intangible and slid down into an apartment. When they dropped in, Sam saw a scruffy man sleeping on the couch. He stank of cigarette smoke, and snored like a boat engine. What does he want with him of all people?

Vlad set them down. He slapped the man.

"Ahh! What the bloody hell? Who…?" He looked up. "Ah, bollocks. What do you want?"

"John Constantine. Demonologist. Occult detective. I hear you're very well oriented with magic."

"Thanks for the introduction. Now what do you want?" He turned to see Sam and Tucker, who had regained consciousness. "And who are they?"

"You know how to travel between different planes. You know how to travel to and from the underworld. Right?"

"Yes I do, now what…"

"Listen, I want you to take me somewhere."

"To where?"

"To a place called the Rock of Eternity. Have you ever heard of it?"

"Well let's see. Hmm. Sorry, never heard of it." John Constantine and Shazam were allies, and he knew that Vlad Plasmius was evil, so of course he wasn't about to take him there.

"Yes, you have. You think I don't know about your work ethics? You're one of the most notorious magicians in the metahuman community. I had figured that you weren't going to be compliant. So, I brought along them."

Vlad walked towards Sam and Tucker. His hands glowed with ecto-energy. He kicked them to the ground, and set his feet on their backs. "Do as I say, or these two die."

Now John could take several angles to this. He could play the tough guy, playing it off like he didn't care about what happened to them, but if he did that Vlad might kill them anyway. He didn't want that: the Justice League would rain hell upon him. And if he actually did transport him there, who knows what he would do. He could try to fight him, but that still wouldn't ensure the hostages' safety. So, he decided that only one type of hero could win this battle: the con man, his own personal favourite.

"All right, I'll help you out." John walked towards Vlad. He began the incantation. "Just so you know, I hate to use magic. I'm only doing this for them."

"I don't care about your intentions, Constantine. As long as I get there, I'm satisfied."

"Oh by the way, I charge a fee."

"How much?"

"1,609 pounds."

"But that's $2000!"

"Fine." John walked away.

"Damn you Constantine." Vlad forked over the money. John pocketed it.

John resumed the incantation. Sam's eyes were widened. Is this really happening? It seems that her relationship with a superhero has put her in the danger zone, but at the same time, has opened the doors to a whole new world.

Then, near the end of the spell, John looked at Vlad and smiled. "Cheers lad."

There was a flash, and then nothing. Vlad looked around, preparing himself for what this rock would be. What did he see?

A couch, a lamp, a TV, and millions of cigarette butts.

"Constantine!"

_The Rock of Eternity_

John, Sam, and Tucker fell to the ground. Sam and Tucker got to their feet right away, and froze in fear of what their eyes were taking in. Constantine just laid there.

"See, this is why I don't like magic. Which is a bitch, because that's pretty much the only thing I'm good at. Well you two are being awfully quiet. What's the ma-Oh bullocks."

Standing over them were Clockwork, Pandora, and-

"Valerie?"

"Sam?"

"You two know each other?" Constantine said. "Well imagine that. Go to a magical dimension, and you find an old friend."

"She's not my friend!" They both shouted at the same time.

"Oh whatever, your personal lives don't mean a damn to me, so what do I care."

"Constantine, how are you here?"

"You see what happened was, was that I transported myself here, so that's how I got here Clocky." He took a cigarette out of a fresh new pack. "Can I get a light?"


	8. Chapter 8

_**And we're back to main story! I'm sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger there, but I'm gonna finish it up. And brace yourselves, because the Deathstroke cometh!**_

_Jump__City_

Skulker opened fire on the three. They hid in an alleyway. "Wise man. Impressive hunter instincts too. Notice how he laid in wait all that time when he could've attacked at his leisure? The guy deserves respect, and that's a lot coming from me."

They just couldn't get a break could they? They looked to see a figure in black and orange on the roof of the building, one beady eye piercing their very souls. This was Deathstroke, the greatest assassin the world's ever known. And as much as that makes him sound like a braggart, the truth is that he never once said that.

"Slade," Raven growled.

"Codenames only please; not everyone here as the respect to know my name," he said, referring to Danny. The assassin sized him up, trying to estimate the amount of power the ghost boy wielded. Why does Masters hate this kid so much?

"What do you want Deathstroke?"

"To weed out competition. Your pursuer is a mercenary, like me. I would like to see what this newcomers made of, see if he has what it takes in this business."

"Your challenger is a ghost, and I don't know how much experience you've had with them, but they're not easy to beat."

"We'll see about that." He pulled out an ecto-charged sword, and jumped off the roof. He slashed Skulker's jacket and pulled him under as he fell. When they hit the ground, Deathstroke grabbed his assault rifle, and emptied rounds on him, which Skulker let go through him by turning intangible. He knew that normal weapons wouldn't harm a ghost of they could help it, but he was wounded so it would take a lot of strength to use intangibility while protecting a wound. And he would be defenseless against, say, a well aimed ecto-blast.

Skulker was defeated. "A pity; this one could have been worth something." He turned to walk away. Skulker struggled to get up, and shot a cable at Slade. Slade sliced it with the ecto-blade he used on him before. Before the battle could continue any longer, Danny sucked Skulker up with a Fenton Thermos.

"Like I said, beating a ghost isn't that simple. They're not alive, so they can keep coming back."

"That's right, you have the most experience with that."

"Well I don't like to brag, but I consider myself an expert on all things ghost."

"I wasn't talking about them."

Raven intervened. "We don't have time for these petty arguments Sla-I mean, Deathstroke. We have business to take care of."

"Let me guess: you have to face your father in yet another over-dramatic and over-played battle."

Raven stayed emotionless. "How did you know?"

Oh come on Raven; why else would the world's mightiest mortal ask you for help. He probably doesn't even need it."

"That's not true! I could come to Jump City for several reasons!"

"Then why don't you?"

"What's going on with whose dad?" Danny thought out loud.

This was getting nowhere. Then Shazam had an idea. "You know, you've killed countless numbers of people over the years. What's your bodycount now? Are you in the thousands yet? One would think a living WMD would be able to kill a few kids to young to be in the League, but old enough to be considered a hero."

Slade froze up, fists clenched.

"Yet, they somehow get the best of you time after time again. How does that happen? And then there's me. You can take on the Justice League any day of the week, except for me. Why's that?"

Deathstroke drew a knife from his boot, its blade against Shazam's throat.

"Now let's not be hasty here. See we got a problem: Black Adam, Ares, and you know the other one, are taking over the Ghost Zone."

"And how does this concern me?"

"Well, strength is in numbers right? With you, we defeating them won't be any struggle. And besides, taking on gods will do wonders for your image."

Deathstroke put his knife back, eyeing Danny as the machinations of his dark mind went to work. "Alright, I'll play your little game. But I'm nobody's hero, so if you expect me to play by your rules you're making a mistake."

"Welcome to our side. Now let's go."

So what just happened? Wielding the power od the gods, Shazam has the wisdom of Solomon, making him one of the smartest superheroes ever. But Slade uses almost his entire brain, and has an agenda of his own. And that ghost boy made things interesting…

The ghost boy in question turned to Raven. "I don't trust this guy. You think he'll turn on us?"

"Without a shadow of a doubt. Mercenaries and hired thugs aren't to be underestimated. Especially not this one. Why did you goad him Shazam? Why?"

"Because we do actually need him. And if he does, which he most likely will, I'll fight him off."

"Are you sure of this?"

Shazam leaned closer to her. "Rachel, it's me. Trust me, we can do this."

Raven lowered her head, and then smiled. "I do trust you."

They flew to the roof where Deathstroke was first perched. He kept a case full of weapons. "I expected more of a fight out of the ghost, so I had come prepared. I packed ecto-grenades, a custom-made ecto-blaster, and-just in case-a dagger with an Nth metal blade."

Danny was both delighted and horrified that the grenades and the gun were Fenton Works products. If his parents knew that they were unwittingly supplying an assassin, they would be screwed both ways. If they continued, they'd be responsible for the death of innocents. But if they refused to sell more gadgets, they'd be killed.

He tried to focus on something different. He tried to talk with Raven. "You and Shazam appear to be close."

She scowled. "Yes. We both come from Fawcett City, and we became friends. Friends. Nothing more."

"Right, yeah. So I was wondering, since Shazam wanted you, do you know what we're up against?"

Raven went silent. She was trying to find the words to say. She knew what it felt like to face off against Trigon, but to describe it?

"Hell."

"What?"

"Absolute hell. That's what it is."

"Great; my first team-up and I'm gonna die."

"Well, now that that's taken care of, we need to see how much of a mess the Empire's made of the Ghost Zone."

"I can take us there. It's about time I made myself useful," said Danny. He pulled out his phone. "I've been monitoring ectoplasmic energy levels since we left Fawcett City. Portals can appear briefly in an area that has a supernatural presence. And if I did the math right, one should open up right…about…now."

A ghost portal appeared in front of them. Each of them braced themselves for what was to come. The each took a step forward, stepping into the unknown. After they went in, the portal closed up.

_**And here we go. We're almost halfway through the story. Man, it feels like it's been forever. Not for much longer**_


End file.
